TEHRAN - Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme ruler, reportedly has fully endorsed his country's nuclear program for the first time.

And he gave his full backing to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the issue.

"One example of an advance by the Islamic system has been the nuclear issue, in which the Iranian nation has honestly and seriously won a great victory," he said Friday.

He praised Ahmadinejad's role in advancing the nuclear issue as "outstanding."

The ayatollah clearly celebrated the failure of the United States and the West and Israel to stall Tehran's nuclear ambitions, Debkafile.com reported.

"Those people who used to say Iran's nuclear activity must be dismantled are now saying we are ready to accept your advances, on condition that it will not continue indefinitely," Khamenei said. "This was achieved by perseverance."